Agreement Reached on Bailout Ahead of High-Level Meeting  —  Proposal Breaks $700 Billion Into Installments  —  A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers left a two-hour-plus meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday saying they have a “fundamental agreement” on a $700 billion plan to bail out U.S. financial markets.

Being Close To Russian Entails......  The next installment in Katie Couric's interview with Gov. Sarah Palin.  —  Watch CBS Videos Online  —  COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience.  What did you mean by that?

Palin takes questions from press corps for first time  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — Sarah Palin took questions from her traveling press corps Thursday for the first time since being tapped as John McCain's running mate.  —  Speaking to a small pool of reporters following a visit to Ground Zero in lower Manhattan …

Obama Will Make Debate A Townhall If McCain Doesn't Show  —  UPDATE: An adviser Barack Obama says he expects John McCain to attend: … Barack Obama is committed to hosting a public, televised event Friday night in Mississippi even if John McCain does not show up, an official close to the Obama campaign tells the Huffington Post.

Nope, nothing campaign-related here  —  McCain met with congressional leaders earlier today and has now returned to his Senate office.  But it's increasingly implausible to think that what he's doing is anything different than he'd be doing on the campaign trail, except he's in person now instead of on his cell phone.

J.P. Morgan to Take Over Faltering WaMu  —  U.S. Government Helps Broker a Deal to Dispose of Huge Thrift; Banking Giant Expected to Get Deposits, Branches  —  In what is by far the largest bank failure in U.S. history, federal regulators seized Washington Mutual Inc. and struck a deal …

Obama Campaign Supporters Meet With Iranian President  —  Digital Media has picked up the story here.  —  A founding member of the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois met in New York City Wednesday night with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Hugh Hefner to sack Playboy bunnies amid financial crisis  —  Playboy bunnies have become the latest victim of the credit crunch.  —  Tycoon Hugh Hefner has been advised to cut back on staff at his multi-million dollar glamour empire as it struggles to cope during the global economic turmoil.

Sanders Schools Kudlow: 'You've Become A Socialist — Your Version Of Socialism Is To Bail Out The Rich'  —  Appearing on CNBC's Kudlow and Company on Tuesday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) dismantled host Larry Kudlow's proclaimed support for unfettered free market enterprise.

McCain campaign slows, but doesn't stop  —  WASHINGTON - Republican presidential nominee John McCain vowed Wednesday to suspend his campaign to focus on the nation's financial crisis, but there were plenty of signs of activity Thursday — including an apparently live fundraising link on the campaign's Web site.